Gun control advocates call for new gun laws at rallies in El Paso, across nation

Gun control advocates rallied in El Paso and around the country on Saturday, seeking to pressure Congress to tighten the nation’s gun laws after the recent mass shootings here in El Paso as well as in Dayton, Ohio and Gilroy, California.

Demonstrators in El Paso’s Lincoln Park, where several dozen people gathered, held signs that said, “Disarm Hate,” ″Enough” and “No One Needs a Weapon of War at Home.”

The groups, Moms Demand Action and Everytown for Gun Safety, held rallies over the weekend in every state. The groups are demanding a strong federal “red flag” bill to allow seizure of weapons in certain cases and legislation requiring background checks on all gun sales.

Congress is on summer recess, but Republican U.S. Senate Majority leader Mitch McConnell has asked committee chairmen to review possible gun bills for consideration when lawmakers return in September.

Democrats on the U.S. House Judiciary Committee announced Friday that they will be returning early to consider other gun-violence legislation. The House has already approved legislation bolstering background checks for gun purchases.

The gunmen in El Paso and Dayton killed a total of 31 people in back-to-back weekend shootings in early August that stunned the nation and revived calls to tighten access to firearms. Those shootings came days after another gunman opened fire at a festival in Northern California, killing three people.